Rousseau

This Referee and linesman...

I feel like we're yielding the midfield to outnumber them out wide (which makes sense against their WBs) but we then lose a bit of control in the middle from which to build pressure.

Clever run from Kent, coming short and dragging CB out before spinning in behind to receive the long ball.

Morelos fouled twice, Referee overlooks them; the St Johnstone player gets a wee nudge, foul.

Beautiful move, but Kamara should be slotting that home.

Typical...

Man City never fail to miss an opportunity to annoy me. Quite frankly, it should be a cricket score. City will now win it in the last minute with a scrappy goal, just to annoy me more.

Your words.

I'm a little gutted for Wright: I think he's played himself into a starting spot. It is an important game, though.

The A-Team.

I don't think my definitions are outdated--in fact, they're quite modern and relevant in a world where money has driven the footballing elite mad. In what way is wanting to see a better calibre of player, or a better brand of football deemed outdated? It's a timeless footballing desire, from the lowest teams in league 2 to the very top. In what way is living within your means irrelevant in this footballing world? Quite relevant, in fact. What's your "different paradigm"? I agree with your point about the dislocation of fans and club.

I feel like I'm on my own here, p*ssing against the wind!

Thanks for this. You're saying that to be successful, a team needs to be 'badly run', or at least push the boat out, and that's not something you want to see for Rangers. You want to be entertained, which is what we're getting now. It seems like I'm being accused of being unimpressed by our success this season? That is not the case. If we have this level of success every few years or so, I'll be more than happy. I've been delighted by our performance this season. Fair enough, we've been burned quite badly for speculating, pushing the boat out, in the past. That's certainly not something I want to see repeated. However, there are many examples of teams being well-run, living within their means, and achieving success. German sides are the archetype, but even sides like Southampton in the recent past (they've struggled recently because their recruitment has been poor and injuries), or Ajax. Good sides, living within their means. That's all I want. But, Southampton, arguably, have a better quality of squad than us--and Ajax and German sides certainly do. That frustrates me. Entertainment can be separated from the level at which we play--one can be entertained in League 2 and CL finals (in theory...). So, surely it doesn't matter if we play in Scotland or in the PL or in an Atlantic League? To see a better level of quality, in the playing squad and its performance, you'd need to be in a bigger pond. I too want to be entertained by Rangers, but I also want to see better quality players, see more success in the bigger competitions. At the moment we hit a wall. We could appoint the next big managerial genius tomorrow, but we'd still hit a wall with the level of player we can afford. So, if there is a chance of us moving to a bigger pond, to then attract and afford that better calibre of player, then I'm in favour of it. I don't think I'll ever change in that regard. Like I said elsewhere, if there is a sudden change, whereby Scottish football improves and becomes that bigger pond, then that's the same for me; I'd be delighted.

No ju-ju; just honesty. I'm being harsh with the scoreline, but I don't see any other result.

League Cup Final prediction: Man City 6 - 0 Tottenham

Allegri has to now be on Tottenham's radar, surely?

Oh, come on. That whole post was tongue-in-cheek. Being badly run has very little to do with the 'pond' you inhabit... to put it poorly. I'll leave you to it. We're just going around in circles.

What's the price of trying? No trophies in the immediate future? If that is really your conditions for supporting Rangers, then you're not much of a fan... We'll need to agree to disagree.

It's seems the majority are content to remain a big fish in a small pond. Fair enough. I retain a dream of expanding into a bigger pond. I think with our fan base and stature, we have so much more potential. Success is measured on the European stage. The Scottish league is a joke: Celtic just won 8.75 in-a-row, but what's that worth? The sum of our ambition is to get into the group stages of the CL--and that's peak success. This season has been stupendous, but in the grand scheme of things it's still the second tier European competition. I think if we were in a bigger pond we'd go further. To be honest, though, that could be as part of a better Scottish league--if we somehow managed to become a better league, with better football, producing better players etc., which seems... unlikely.

What's the better path?

Yes, please. But, those are better defined as success. The money is a means to an end. Progress is to be better than we are now: competing against better sides, acquiring better players ourselves, and ultimately challenging for PL and European titles. But, you are right: it's vague, it's subjective, or certainly something that evolves... but, We wants it, we needs it. Must have the precious.

Being badly run has nothing to do with the amount of money a team possesses. To progress, teams need investment. We're never going to move on from where we are now without it. Getting into the group stages of the CL is pretty much the extent of it now--and that's a superb season. It's still nowhere near the elite. (I'm intrigued to see how Queen's Park get on now, after ending their amateur status. I think they're a well-run club, but without investment they've not moved from the bottom tier. With investment, I expect them to move up the leagues.) I applaud the 'entertainment' post - I agree with the sentiment. I'm just of the opinion that investment is needed to progress, which is what I want to see. If we're well-run, can utilise our fan base and stature, and be provided with the investment that some PL sides receive, we can move up in the world, so to speak.

I expect Tottenham to get trounced. Ryan Mason. WTF. (I'm astonished they won against Southampton, but the Saints blow hot and cold at the moment.)

I've always been in favour of us moving. Last season Norwich City, finishing bottom of the league--by some distance--had revenues of £119.3 million. Rangers, £59 million (?).